Though a passport holder, Jho Low never entered St Kitts and Nevis

PETALING JAYA: Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho has never entered St. Kitts and Nevis, although he holds a passport of the island state in the West Indies, according to a local paper there.

The country's English daily newspaper St. Kitts Nevis Observer reported that Low, who is also known as Jho Low, became an "economic citizen" of the island country in 2011.

However, the report said immigration records indicated that Low had "never entered any port in the St. Kitts and Nevis".

Hence, the report said under the administration of the country's Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris, they had made the decision to deactivate Low's passport through Interpol in June this year.

It said that before an application to seek citizenship was approved, the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) under the government would perform checks on an individual via the media and criminal databases.

"It also checks sanctions lists and makes a determination whether there are serious or pending legal, regulatory or political matters that would require consideration," said the report, which came out on Tuesday (Nov 6).

Low is currently wanted in Malaysia, Singapore and other countries over investigations into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Malaysia has applied for a Red Notice to seek assistance from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, India, Myanmar, China and Hong Kong via Interpol, and Taiwan via diplomatic channels to arrest Low.

Former Goldman Sachs bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, as well as Low, have been indicted by the US DoJ on Thursday (Nov 1) for conspiring to launder money and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in relation to 1MDB.